Sequential incoherence in a multi-party synchronous computer mediated communication for an introductory Health Informatics course.

Online courses will play a key role in the high-volume Informatics education required to train the personnel that will be necessary to fulfill the health IT needs of the country. Online courses can cause feelings of isolation in students. A common way to address these feelings is to hold synchronous online chats for students. Conventional chats, however, can be confusing and impose a high extrinsic cognitive load on their participants that hinders the learning process. In this paper we present a qualitative analysis that shows the causes of this high cognitive load and our solution through the use of a moderated chat system

The Roundtable: An Abstract Model of Conversation Dynamics

Is it possible to abstract a formal mechanism originating schisms and governing the size evolution of social conversations? In this work we propose a constructive solution to this problem: an abstract model of a generic N-party turn-taking conversation. The model develops from simple yet realistic assumptions derived from experimental evidence, abstracts from conversation content and semantics while including topological information, and is driven by stochastic dynamics. We find that a single mechanism, namely the dynamics of conversational party\'s individual fitness as related to conversation size, controls the development of the self-organized schisming phenomenon. Potential generalizations of the model - including individual traits and preferences, memory effects and more elaborated conversational topologies - may find important applications also in other fields of research, where dynamically-interacting and networked agents play a fundamental role.ABM, Complexity, Turn-Taking Dynamics, Schism, Stochastic Dynamics

The roundtable: an abstract model of conversation dynamics

Is it possible to abstract a formal mechanism originating schisms and governing the size evolution of social conversations? In this work we propose a constructive solution to this problem: an abstract model of a generic N-party turn-taking conversation. The model develops from simple yet realistic assumptions derived from experimental evidence, abstracts from conversation content and semantics while including topological information, and is driven by stochastic dynamics. We find that a single mechanism, namely the dynamics of conversational party's individual fitness as related to conversation size, controls the development of the self-organized schisming phenomenon. Potential generalizations of the model - including individual traits and preferences, memory effects and more elaborated conversational topologies - may find important applications also in other fields of research, where dynamically-interacting and networked agents play a fundamental role

Emotion, seduction and intimacy: alternative perspectives on human behaviour

In most organizations the vast majority of employees feel that management has failed to deal effectively with issues of sexuality and intimacy in the workplace. Yet personal relationships can profoundly affect productivity, morale and the well-being of employees. In this brilliant book, author Rory Ridley-Duff proposes a new framework for appreciating both potential benefits and harms of workplace relationships, and a new, constructive and non-confrontational approach to sexual relations in the workplace. Based on years of case-study research and up-to-date scholarship, this book shows how business managers can benefit from a better understanding of the connection between emotion and intelligence. Emotion, Seduction and Intimacy is a 'must read' for anyone concerned about the role of intimacy and close relationships in day-to-day life. (Libertary Editions, Seattle

1990-1995 Brock Campus News

A compilation of the administration newspaper, Brock Campus News, for the years 1990 through 1995. It had previously been titled The Blue Badger